Under the Rose
by Wldwmn
Summary: After a surprising comment on an evaluation report, Jane starts taking his usual teasing of Lisbon to new heights. But how much of it is actually a joke? Jisbon. Rated T for overall suggestiveness. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Outside Opinion

**Disclaimer: I don't own "The Mentalist."**

**Summary: After a surprising comment on an evaluation report, Jane starts taking his usual teasing of Lisbon to new heights. But how much of it is actually a joke? Jisbon. Rated T for overall suggestiveness.**

**A/N: Hi everyone! After finishing "Love Letters" I felt the need to get some lighter writing in. This story is pretty fluffy, and gives the characters (and me) a break from all the finale-related angst. It'll contain few if any spoilers, and a definite silliness factor. This first chapter is mainly set-up; please let me know what you think.**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 1: Outside Opinion**

Lisbon sat at her desk that Friday afternoon, thinking fondly of the weekend ahead. There were no last-minute cases, and while she loved her work she was looking forward to a couple of days to herself. Especially after the week she and the rest of the team had just had.

This Monday morning had brought with it a small, mousey woman in glasses named Judith Paige. Without warning, she announced that it was her task this week to record the annual evaluation of each member of the Serious Crimes Unit team, and then the team as a whole. She'd followed them to crime scenes, attended witness interviews, and spent time in the bullpen, always quiet and usually writing in her notebook.

Lisbon wasn't thrilled by the woman's presence, but as the Agent-in-charge she tried to be as helpful to Ms. Paige as possible. As she expected, Cho was completely professional, Rigsby was tactfully polite, and VanPelt was downright friendly. Only Jane caused any trouble. In fact, when his antics went particularly haywire one day in the interrogation room, Lisbon was certain he was trying to get them all suspended.

But at last the week was up. Ms. Paige had come into the office with a copy of her report for Lisbon to read over, then left. Lisbon knew she needed to go over it before she went home, but it wasn't until a few hours later that she'd finished her other paperwork.

She opened the file, and began skimming the individual team member evaluations first.

_Cho, Kimball: …Professional, highly effective interrogator. Has earned numerous merit citations. Criminal past occasionally results in internal conflict…_

_Jane, Patrick: …Extremely intelligent, wildly unpredictable consultant. Has been the subject of numerous written complaints. Closed-case ratio main point in his favor…_

_Lisbon, Teresa: …Hard-working, intelligent team leader. Has earned numerous valor citations. Was promoted young, but has proved worthy of added responsibility…_

_Rigsby, Wayne: …Knowledgeable former arson specialist. Asks pertinent questions and has been injured multiple times in devoted performance of duty…_

_VanPelt, Grace: …Newest member of the unit. Shows excellent information gathering skills and utilizes computer resources with high speed and accuracy…_

_Serious Crimes Unit: Overall, well-balanced and well-led team. Has the highest closed-case ratio in the CBI. Also has the highest number of complaints filed, as well as periodic lawsuits._

So far, nothing in the report had surprised Lisbon. All of the information, positive and negative, was nothing new to her or her superiors, as far as she knew. She was about to sign off on the report, when she saw some text in the "Additional Comments" box. Now that was unusual, so she took a moment to read it.

_**Additional Comments: Deep, sub-rosa chemistry and sexual tension between Agent Lisbon and Patrick Jane. Taking official punitive action is likely unnecessary, due to Mr. Jane's consultant status, but possible impropriety may eventually occur.**_

Lisbon was stunned. What the hell was she talking about? She stared at the pair of sentences for a few minutes, then opened her office door and shouted, "Jane! Get in here!"

A few moments later, Jane wandered in and flopped unceremoniously on her couch. "What's wrong, Lisbon? Usually when you want to yell at me you come out in the bullpen so everyone can hear," he said with a smile.

"Shut up and read this, Jane," Lisbon said, shoving the report over towards him.

He glanced at the various pages and shrugged. "Looks pretty standard to me. Almost exactly like last year's evaluation, in fact. What's the problem?"

"The problem? Try reading the additional comments box, Jane. Then you can tell me."

Jane read it and his eyes widened. "Ah. I see what you mean."

"Well, why don't you enlighten me, then. What does 'sub-rosa' mean?" she asked.

"Hm, 'sub-rosa' is a fussy, old-fashioned Latin term. Literally it means 'under the rose,' but it came to refer to something that was hidden or a secret."

"Hidden chemistry and sexual tension? _Possible impropriety?_ Where did she get that idea, Jane? Were you making inappropriate comments when I wasn't around?"

"What? Of course not! Well, maybe… but no more so than usual. Maybe it was something you did," he teased.

"Oh sheep dip. I know this is your fault somehow," Lisbon snapped.

"Come on Lisbon, it takes two to tango," Jane countered, snickering.

"Okay, get out and go home. That's enough of dealing with you for the week. We can address this Monday morning. Because I was certainly not aware of any chemistry or sexual tension between us."

"Seriously, Lisbon? _That's_ what you're going with as your excuse?"

"That's what I was planning on saying to my superiors if questioned, yes. Why, what would you say?"

"I would say that I wasn't aware that it was a secret," Jane said, and darted out of her office door before she could speak.

Lisbon felt her forehead hit her desk. What had she gotten herself into this time?

Jane smiled to himself; this had to wait until Monday, hmm? Oh, Lisbon was in for a week she'd never forget.

**To Be Continued… **


	2. Covert to Overt

**Disclaimer: I love "The Mentalist". But when I set it free it didn't come back to me, so it's not mine.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the nice reviews; they are such an awesome motivator! As I said, I'm going to keep this lighter, but that doesn't mean there won't be any seriousness at all. You have to have something as counterpoint, and Jane seems prepared to provide a touch of it already.**

**Under The Rose**

**Chapter 2: Covert to Overt**

Following a pleasant, relaxing and above all, Jane-free weekend, Lisbon was feeling much more calm as she walked into the CBI the following Monday morning. The feeling was destined to be short-lived.

Jane, on the other hand, **hadn't** been relaxing over the weekend. Instead, he was busy carefully considering various circumstances that might come up. So far he had approximately a dozen detailed plans of action; it all depended on what happened in the office that Monday morning.

Plan number seven was the clear choice when Rigsby asked Jane if he would do the morning coffee run. Jane grinned and agreed immediately, cheerfully taking everyone's order. He would fix his own tea later. It was time to get the ball rolling.

###

Lisbon came out of her office and went into the bullpen. She'd just received a call on a case whose initial details seemed suspiciously familiar. Did murderers sneak around the state line on purpose just so the CBI had to get involved? Some days she seriously wondered. She quickly scanned the room and noticed one team member missing. "Cho, where's Jane? We've got a case."

"Still getting our coffee, Boss. He should be back any time, though," Cho answered. "He's been gone fifteen minutes already."

Ten further minutes later Jane strolled back in. He was laden with four cups and several small paper pastry bags, and he was singing. "_Once I had a secret love, that lived within the heart of me-_"

"Can it, Jane," Lisbon said. "Didn't we make a rule about that?"

Jane paused and looked at her, then smiled slyly. "Oh yes, I remember. I'm not supposed to sing about you in the office during work hours," he said, and dropped her a wink.

Cho, Rigsby and VanPelt just stared at him in horror for a moment. Then their eyes flicked over to Lisbon, waiting for her reaction.

Lisbon felt the color rise in her cheeks, though if someone had asked her whether it was more from anger or embarrassment she wouldn't have been able to say. "No, the rule was no singing at all anywhere at ANY time," she snapped. "Can I have my coffee please?"

"Of course. Here you are, and this bag is yours too," Jane said, passing them over to her before handing the rest of the order to each team member.

"What's this? I didn't ask for a pastry this morning," Lisbon said, and trailed off as she removed the contents of the bag. It was a large, heart-shaped chocolate cookie with pink frosting. "Jane, isn't this a Valentine's day cookie? Where did you get it, or have you been saving it for five months?"

VanPelt giggled at that comment, but was silenced quickly by a stern look from Lisbon.

"Lisbon, of course I wouldn't give you a five-month-old cookie! I asked them to make it specially for me this morning; that's what took me so long," Jane said.

"We have work to do here! Why did you spend extra time convincing them to make you a heart cookie to give to me?" Lisbon asked, her voice rising in volume as the foolish direction of the conversation began to genuinely annoy her.

Jane froze theatrically for a moment, and then spoke in a whisper that nonetheless seemed to carry to every corner of the room. "I really don't think I should answer that question in front of everyone, Lisbon, especially after that warning on the team evaluation."

While the rest of the team looked on in confusion, for Lisbon the light dawned and she started to relax. So that was his game. He was teasing her because of what she'd said about the evaluator's comments on their interaction. She had to deal with this before it got even further out of hand. "Okay, okay. Thank you for the cookie, Jane. Now, we have a case that we'll be riding out for momentarily, so I need you to focus," she told him, using a tone she usually reserved for the very young.

Jane frowned slightly; she wasn't supposed to figure him out so quickly. She should be upset, or at least uncomfortable, for another half-hour in this scenario. He regrouped quickly, however. After all, the brief serenade and cookie were only the beginning of plan number seven.

###

Reflecting later, Lisbon was impressed that Jane had managed to get under her skin with something so simple. Because it didn't happen when he immediately jumped into her SUV, this time not even fighting her for the chance to drive. He just fixed her with ocean-colored eyes and his "I know something you don't know yet and you won't like it" grin. She wasn't unfamiliar with that situation.

It wasn't even that this time, instead of his usual neutral touch at the small of her back, he chanced a soft stroking of her upper arm with the backs of his fingers when she was trying to get the full story from the local sheriff. A little surprising, but a slight smack took care of it.

It was the damn ice cream cone.

The man seemed to be able to find one anywhere, and the attention he was paying to this particular cone bordered on the obscene. He didn't say anything (he didn't have to), he just stood there and mouthed it indecently while she tried to direct Rigsby and Cho where to canvas for witnesses. As soon as they left, Rigsby attempting vainly to suppress an immature snicker that was going to cost him some stakeout duty, Lisbon rounded on Jane.

"What is **wrong** with you today?" Lisbon asked through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean? I'm just enjoying my ice cream," Jane replied, but he couldn't hide a smirk and didn't try.

"Enjoying it? You're practically making love to it! Do I need to leave the two of you alone?" she shot back, darkly.

"At this point your comments are saying more about you than me, Lisbon. Dirty thoughts are part of that sexual tension Ms. Paige was reporting, you know."

"Okay, sometimes you're a bit of a pig, Jane, but this is so much worse than usual," Lisbon sighed.

"Ah, so you finally admit there's a usual undercurrent of tension in our conversations? I thought you were 'completely unaware' of any," Jane said, grinning in triumph.

Lisbon threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine! I notice, okay? Are you happy now? Was my admission really worth all of this nonsense?"

"This was nothing, Lisbon. I simply switched from covert to overt actions. You're actually lucky; I could have been much worse, and **much** more embarrassing."

"So I'm supposed to thank you every time you don't behave as badly as you can? I don't think so, Jane. It's time for us to go back to the CBI and if you know what's good for you, you'll be a model passenger for the drive there," Lisbon said, and the note of finality in her voice let Jane know he shouldn't push her any further.

He became quiet on the walk to the vehicle, so when they got in she relented and let him pick the radio station. He immediately switched it to the Swing station, and they caught the very end of Nat King Cole singing "_And I'm thinking, if you were mine, I'd never let you go. And that would be but beautiful, I know._" Jane smiled at her and hummed along. Lisbon rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

###

Back at the CBI building, Lisbon followed Jane into the bullpen and saw him begin to settle himself on his couch. She watched as he hitched around trying to find the most comfortable spot. When he finally relaxed, she said, "So now that you've proved your point, will things go back to normal tomorrow? Will you promise to behave?"

"You know me well enough to know that I'd never make that kind of promise. Well, actually I might, but I wouldn't mean it," Jane answered, his head dropping back, his eyes closed.

"Jane, I'm serious. You won, now you need to cut it out. The game's over."

He opened his eyes again at that, and looked up at her. "Lisbon, there are a couple of things you need to understand about what happened today," he said. "One, this was only the beginning and two, only _some_ of this was just a game."

At that, Lisbon left in a huff. It wasn't until she was back in her office that the full impact of his words hit her. Only some of it was a game? Wait, then which part wasn't?

**TBC… song lyrics used are from "Secret Love" and "But Beautiful", in that order.**


	3. Public and Private

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

**A/N: Okay, a touch more serious at times in this chapter, but still mostly fun. Flowers, hijinks, and Jane being Jane ensue. Lisbon doesn't seem thrilled by the extra attention Jane is paying her in front of everyone, but how will she react to a more private gesture?**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 3: Public and Private**

Lisbon was deeply suspicious of how quiet the office seemed that morning. Ever since the previous night she'd been a little afraid of what was coming, if everything from the day before had been "only the beginning." But she'd been at work for over an hour, and so far nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

At precisely ten o'clock it started.

Ernie, one of the downstairs security guards, escorted a deliveryman into the bullpen. The messenger was carrying an enormous white box with the words "The Language of Flowers" on the outside in elegant gold lettering.

"Ernie, what's going on?" Lisbon asked after wandering out into the commotion.

Ernie sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Ma'am, this guy says he has a delivery for you and insisted he had to place it in your hands. I tried to tell him he could leave it at the front like everyone else and we'd page you, but he said that he got specific instructions that it must be given directly to you. Mike's covering the front entry, so I walked him and the package up."

Lisbon bit her lip in frustration. She had a pretty clear idea of who was behind this. Who else would cause trouble for multiple people just to make a scene? She pasted a smile on her face and said, "Thank you, Ernie. I'm sure this _won't happen again_," she added, shooting a pointed glance at Jane. He just smiled shamelessly back at her.

After the security guard and the deliveryman left, Lisbon moved the box to the large table. VanPelt was the first team member who came over, but the rest of the team quickly followed.

VanPelt was behaving almost as excited as if the box were meant for her. "I've heard of this place. 'The Language of Flowers' shop, I mean. It's new and it's super pricey. The idea behind it is that you can send any message you can think of with flowers. You tell them what you want to say, and they select a flower or combination of them to convey it. Then they include the meaning on the card, along with any words from the sender."

Cho and Rigsby were clearly not that impressed, but Jane finally decided to pipe up at this point. "Well, Lisbon, someone seems to have gone to a lot of trouble and expense to send you something. The least you could do is open it, I think."

"No, the least I could do is throw it in the wastebasket. Or drop-kick it out of the window, maybe." Lisbon grumbled under her breath, alternating between glaring at the box and glaring at Jane.

She felt the change in the air as Jane stepped behind her. "Aren't you even a little curious as to what's inside?" he said in her ear. He really was too close, and Lisbon wasn't putting up with it. She didn't need her mind any further fogged by him, so she made a snap decision.

Taking a single step back, she made sure that the heel of her boot pressed into Jane's instep. She didn't put her full weight on it; she didn't actually want to hurt him badly. But he was simply terrible about personal space.

"Ow! That was my foot, Lisbon!" Jane said, retreating quickly.

"Really? I'm sorry, Jane. I had no idea you were standing so close to me," she replied innocently. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more.

VanPelt was still acting practically giddy. "Open it, Boss! Please?"

Lisbon sighed, but she had to admit she **was** getting curious. She lifted off the top of the box and gasped.

Inside was a bouquet of two-dozen of the largest and most beautifully formed orange lilies she had ever seen. She lifted the arrangement out with its vase and set it back down on the table.

VanPelt raised a hand to her mouth. "Wow, they're so gorgeous and different. What do they mean?"

Lisbon shrugged. "I have no idea. Help me find the card and we'll find out."

Rigsby and Cho went back to their desks while Lisbon and VanPelt carefully parted the blooms, looking for the card. Jane lingered to watch, but from a safe distance this time. Lisbon felt ridiculously girly at the moment; this was so out of the norm for her work persona. It made her a little uncomfortable.

"Got it!" VanPelt cried. "It doesn't say who sent it, but it does give a flower meaning. Orange lilies are for… oh my," she went quiet and handed the card to Lisbon.

"What?" Lisbon said as she took it and read: _"Orange lilies signify passionate desire."_

She felt a treacherous blush warming her cheeks. And she didn't have to turn around to know that Jane was smugly pleased with himself. She could **feel** it. "Alright, the bouquet is lovely, so it can stay out here for decoration. But the card is staying with me; I don't need rude comments for the rest of the day about it."

"Understandable, Boss," VanPelt said, nodding and returning to her workstation.

Lisbon walked over to Jane. "I don't entirely believe or approve of the meaning behind them," she said, just loud enough for him to hear, "but thank you for the flowers. They're very nice."

He nodded, waited until she was almost to her office door, then called after her in full voice "You're welcome, Lisbon. I'm so glad you like your lilies!"

Lisbon screwed up her eyes as she shut the door behind her. She was going to kill him.

###

A few hours later and Lisbon had let the morning's excitement slide, mostly. She'd left the flowers on the long table. She'd come back out of her office and endured the knowing looks of her team; they were obviously entertained by Jane "letting slip" that he was the one who'd sent the lilies. But she was an adult, and she was going to keep doing her job.

An irate phone call from the DA's office concerning something Jane had done during their current case threw her for a loop, however. She'd gotten so many complaints about him that she practically had a script to read from in response, but this one was much worse than usual. At one point she found herself literally holding the phone away from her ear. By the end, she promised that Jane would be getting a harsh reprimand.

She strode angrily over to Jane's couch, kicking it and startling him out of sleep. She began to yell, getting progressively louder until everyone in the bullpen finally just stopped what they were doing and watched the show.

"I don't appreciate having my ass handed to me every time I get a phone call about you, Jane! How long do you think I'm prepared to keep covering for you?" she snarled.

Jane opened his mouth to give her a flip answer, but the grin he flashed beforehand was too much for Lisbon. She grabbed two fists full of his jacket and pulled him up to her. "If I were you I'd very carefully consider the next few words coming out of my mouth, Patrick Jane." She was so close to him that his breath fluttered her eyelashes. It was distracting, but she was so angry she could almost ignore it.

Jane lowered his voice to a volume only she could hear and said, "I don't mean to alarm you, Lisbon, but we're being closely watched by everyone in this room. And I'd say the group opinion is currently about fifty-fifty whether you're going to rip my head off or rip my clothes off."

Lisbon then realized what they must look like from the outside, pressed tightly together and flushed with excitement. She took a deep breath and whispered back "That bad, huh?"

"Oh yes, and the worst part? If you take me into your office right now to yell at me in private, everyone will **definitely** vote for the clothes-off option." He was trying desperately not to smirk and infuriate her again.

She sighed. The anger was ebbing quickly, and being replaced by self-consciousness. "Damn. What should I do?"

He considered for a second. "I think if you kissed me the entire bullpen would erupt in cheers and quite a bit of money would change hands," he said, his eyes twinkling. "But my advice is to let me go by shoving me back down, give me a good solid death glare, and then stomp off to your office alone. Then you can finish yelling at me after hours, when there's no one around to get the wrong idea."

Lisbon nodded, and then followed his suggestions to the letter.

###

That evening, long after everyone else had gone home, Lisbon went to go wash out her coffee mug before she finally left. She returned to her office to see a small white box that hadn't been there a moment ago on her desk. Inside it she found a perfect origami rose, in a brilliant shade of blue. Immediately she went to Jane.

He was waiting for her on his couch. She stood in front of him and held out her hand, the paper rose resting in her palm. "You made this?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Do you like it?"

"It's amazing. It's so beautiful. I really love it, thank you," she said with a brilliant smile. Then she chuckled. "So what does it mean, Mr. Language of the Flowers? There was no card in the box to tell me."

"A blue rose can represent a number of things, including love at first sight." He smiled to see the blush threatening yet again in her cheeks. "But in this case it's supposed to mean wishing for the impossible."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh Jane, I-" she started, but trailed off. The fact was that there were too many things _that_ meaning could apply to when it came to the two of them, and she wasn't prepared to address any of them tonight. She settled for saying "Well… good night I guess."

"See you in the morning, Lisbon."

As she walked out to her car, Lisbon shook her head and wondered what new insanity tomorrow would bring. She didn't realize that she was smiling slightly while she thought about it.

**TBC…**


	4. Heartfelt Words

**Disclaimer: "The Mentalist" remains not mine.**

**A/N: Has anyone besides me ever wondered how Lisbon would act if she had fair warning before pretending to be married to Jane in front of a suspect? I decided that she deserved a chance to let her undercover talents show. This chapter gets just a bit more adult-themed than previous ones, but nothing too outrageous. **

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 4: Heartfelt Words**

Wednesday morning was bright and clear, and Lisbon steeled herself before entering the CBI headquarters. She had no idea what was in store when it came to Jane and his little games. All she could do was take a deep breath, and trust that she could handle whatever he dished out.

At first glance, things appeared normal. No outrageous presents were in evidence, and no live animals were tethered in her office. As she walked past his couch towards the kitchenette, she said "Good morning, Jane."

"Happy Wednesday, Lisbon," he answered brightly.

"No off-color remarks to start the day? No references to 'hump day' or something like that?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh Lisbon, how immature and vulgar. Surely I could do better, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what to expect with you this week, Jane."

"I'll bet I can come up with something you'll really appreciate," he teased.

"You could just not do anything to make me uncomfortable today. I think I'd appreciate that most of all," she replied as she left.

At eight-thirty, however, a paper airplane sailed through her open door and landed on her keyboard. Lisbon looked at it suspiciously; Jane was starting early this morning.

She picked it up and saw that written on the wings were the words "Unfold Me." Sighing in exasperation, she tugged on each wing to pull the plane apart, and saw this written in the middle space:

"_Love is not love  
><em>_Which alters when it alteration finds,  
><em>_Or bends with the remover to remove:  
><em>_O no! it is an ever-fixèd mark  
><em>_That looks on tempests and is never shaken"_

_**Shakespeare**_

Lisbon rolled her eyes. She tossed it aside as she muttered angrily under her breath. So, Monday was sweets, yesterday was flowers and today was love poems. Terrific. She could only think of about seventeen different ways that could cause trouble and embarrassment, which meant that Jane could most likely double that estimate with little effort.

And in fact, Jane did manage to come up with a few ingenious ways to get poems to her. He used slight of hand to sneak one into a file she'd requested, so when she opened it the first page did not contain the identity summary of the victim, but the following:

"_I have you fast in my fortress,  
><em>_And will not let you depart,  
><em>_But put you down into the dungeons  
><em>_In the round-tower of my heart.  
><em>_And there will I keep you forever,  
><em>_Yes, forever and a day,  
><em>_Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,  
><em>_And moulder in dust away!"_

_**Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**_

Lisbon carefully removed the page so it wouldn't get kept with the file by mistake.

There was also the message written on the balloon that mysteriously appeared following her first coffee refill trip. It was tied to the arm of her desk chair, and it read:

"_Even today we hear love's song of yore  
><em>_Deep in our hearts it dwells forevermore  
><em>_Footsteps may falter, weary grow the way,  
><em>_Still we can hear it, at the close of day,  
><em>_So till the end when life's dim shadows fall  
><em>_Love will be found the sweetest song of all."_

_**Clifton Bingham**_

She was thankful that so far the messages were relatively private. She should have known better.

As soon as she came out into the bullpen, Jane gave her an expectant look. Lisbon pointedly ignored him, hoping that she could somehow avoid an actual recitation. Unfortunately, he caught her sleeve as she walked by and immediately launched into:

"**How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
><strong>**I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
><strong>**My soul can reach…"**

"Stop right there, Jane," Lisbon said harshly, and tugged her sleeve from grasp. She heard muffled laughter coming from various directions, and gave the entire bullpen a blanket glare.

"What's the matter, Lisbon? You don't like Elizabeth Barrett Browning?" Jane asked. His tone was all innocence as usual, but the look in his eye left no question in her mind. He knew he was crossing a line, he knew it was driving her crazy, and he was enjoying it.

"Have you forgotten there's a team meeting in five minutes? We don't have time for a poetry slam," she snapped.

She stormed out towards the reserved meeting room, with Rigsby, Cho and VanPelt close on her heels. After a moment, Jane got up from the couch and strolled after them.

###

The meeting was brief but informative, outlining the game plan for the operation later today. Their hopelessly convoluted case now required them to set up an undercover meeting with a human trafficker named Riley. He didn't look good for the murder itself, but his connection with the victim needed investigating. Jane and Lisbon were meeting him at a restaurant, posing as a rich married couple looking to acquire a third bedmate.

VanPelt and Cho were going to be monitoring their wire equipment in a traditional "van across the street" setup. Meanwhile, Rigsby would be coordinating with local authorities and joining them when it was time to move in. Earpieces would connect everyone, so no parts of the conversation would be missed.

Lisbon hadn't been too thrilled with the plan at first. Considering the number of times Jane had roped her into pretending to be his wife, however, she was just glad to have a little prep time to get into character for once. She doubted she'd ever actually embarrass him, but she thought she might be able to give him a bit of a surprise.

###

"Teresa! Over here, darling!" Lisbon smoothed the fabric of her emerald green pantsuit and turned in the direction of Jane's voice. She saw him waving from a table near the back of the outdoor patio area.

They'd appeared to arrive at the restaurant separately, with Jane going in first to make the initial contact and put the skittish trafficker at ease. She walked towards him and said quietly into her concealed microphone "Okay team, show-time."

"There you are, my dear," Jane said, standing and putting his arms around her. "Riley, this is my wife Teresa. Isn't she beautiful?"

"Oh absolutely, Mr. Jane. And so elegantly dressed, too." Riley said in an oily tone.

"That's true; this is one of my favorite outfits of hers. But then again, as an anonymous poet once said:

'_My Love in her attire doth show her wit,  
><em>_It doth so well become her:  
><em>_For every season she hath dressings fit,  
><em>_For Winter, Spring and Summer.  
><em>_No beauty she doth miss  
><em>_When all her robes are on;  
><em>_But Beauty's self she is  
><em>_When all her robes are gone.'_

Wouldn't you agree, Riley?"

Riley's eyes raked over Lisbon's body, and after a moment he said, "Definitely, Mr. Jane. Lovely women are at their loveliest with no clothing as a barrier to admiration."

Lisbon's skin crawled while being appraised by the modern-day slaver, but she still managed to smile insincerely and said, "It's nice to meet you. Is it Riley something, or something Riley?"

"Just Riley, Mrs. Jane. And it's such a pleasure to meet a wife so… indulgent of her husband's desires. Please, have a seat."

Lisbon glanced around, confused. "I would, but there doesn't seem to be a third chair."

"That's not a problem, you can sit on my lap," Jane said with a grin as he sat back down. When she hesitated, he coaxed "Come on, sweetheart, I haven't seen you all day."

Lisbon gritted her teeth, but let Jane pull her onto him. His hand came to rest on her hip possessively. So he wanted to play it up for this guy? Fine. She batted her eyelashes at him and said, "Oh, honey, I missed you too." She shifted in his lap for a moment, situating herself, and put one arm around his neck. Her fingers stroked idly through his curls as she purred "Just wait until I get you alone."

She leaned closer, and to any outside observer appeared to be affectionately nuzzling Jane's ear. However, everyone connected to the listening devices caught her warning whisper. "No funny stuff, Jane. And if that hand moves an inch in any direction, Forensics will be recovering your remains with a sponge."

At that, Cho let out a short bark of laughter. Seeing VanPelt's look of surprise from the opposite end of the van, he deadpanned "What? It was funny."

Riley began to direct the conversation. "So, how did you two get together?"

Jane smiled and gave the back-story they'd agreed on. "Oh, we met at a swingers' convention."

Riley looked confused for a moment. "You met there, and then got married? I didn't know singles were welcome at swingers' events," he said.

Lisbon jumped in with "Oh, we _were_ married at the time, Riley. Just not to each other," she added, and gave him a wink.

VanPelt was impressed. "Nice save, Boss," she said quietly.

The conversation rapidly moved to specifics about what kind of young woman they were looking for. Lisbon had originally wanted to describe the victim in the case, but Jane had thought that would be too obvious. So, they kept their description relatively vague, with a few key requirements that did match the victim: blonde hair, blue eyes, and no older than twenty-three.

It didn't take much further prodding for Riley to incriminate himself completely, so Jane and Lisbon excused themselves before Rigsby and the local cops moved in.

As Riley was being handcuffed and arrested, Jane and Lisbon walked back to their vehicles. He turned to her and said, "I had no idea you would throw yourself into a role like that."

"Well, you almost never give me a chance to, Jane. You just spring it on me and leave me to scramble, confident that you'll always look smooth," she said with a shrug.

"I'll certainly have to keep this in mind for future reference. We can be devastatingly convincing when we're both in on it from the beginning."

"We really can. Now, I'm worn out for the day, so I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning," Lisbon said.

"Oh, ok," Jane said, looking slightly crestfallen. "Until tomorrow, then."

###

In her apartment that evening, Lisbon had changed from her undercover outfit into her pajamas. She was hanging up the pantsuit, and checking the pockets of the slacks when she found a piece of paper. She knew she hadn't placed it in there. It was folded over once, and said on the outside "_**A Haiku for Lisbon, by Patrick Jane**_." He must've snuck it into her pocket during the time she spent on his lap. She unfolded it and read:

"_I hope you know that  
><em>_you are the closest thing to  
><em>_perfect in my world."_

She blushed, smiling in disbelief. She had taken all the day's love poems completely in stride, and dismissed them easily. But seventeen syllables in his own words made her melt.

Why on earth did a little thing have such an effect on her, she wondered. Lisbon could think of only one obvious answer, but she didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it, because it couldn't be true. She hadn't fallen for him.

…Had she?

Oh, _no._

**TBC…**


	5. Lace and Fear

**Disclaimer: It's mine, all mine! Wait… no it's not.**

**A/N: Sorry for the pause in updates! Here's a long chapter to make up for it. That being said, this chapter does take an odd turn. I can only say that denial irks me and I don't want to stay mad at Lisbon, so this includes a situation where her feelings are unavoidable. It does end up on a more serious note, but I promise there's still the lighter stuff in the first parts.**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 5: Lace and Fear**

There were dark circles under Teresa Lisbon's eyes that Thursday morning. After the delight at finding Jane's poem and the discomfort of the realization it brought, she had tossed and turned most of the night.

She stepped into the main CBI elevator, pushed the button, and took a deep breath as the doors closed. "I'm not falling for Jane," she murmured to herself. "I don't love him, and he doesn't love me. We're just colleagues and friends. Well, kind of friends. But I'm not in love with him. This week is just getting to me. That's all it is." She kept repeating this under her breath as the elevator let her out and she walked through the bullpen.

Jane was already there, but he was still asleep. Genuinely asleep, in fact; his breathing was deep and even. She watched him for a moment, and saw how the lines in his face had smoothed. It made him look younger and untroubled. -I definitely haven't fallen for him,- she thought. Then she sighed quietly. –And I'm not kidding myself, either. Not in denial at all. _Sure_.-

His eyes popped open at her sigh, and he looked up at her. "Good morning, Lisbon."

The knowing smile on his lips made her usual background level of irritation resurface. "Hi, Jane. Should I bother asking what sort of embarrassment you're going to cause me today?"

"If I told you, Lisbon, it wouldn't be a surprise," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased with his answer. It was annoying, and therefore completely normal for them. Normal was what she needed to clear her head. Not flowers laced with meaning and an endearment in haiku form.

Whatever it was, she wasn't going to fall for it today. If Jane was just doing this to get to her, then there had to be a way to make it so it wasn't so much fun for him. Maybe if she started taking his teasing a little more in stride he'd find it less entertaining. "Well, I'm going to find out sooner or later, right? So I guess it doesn't matter if you tell me. See you shortly, Jane," Lisbon said, as she walked away towards her office.

Waiting on the floor outside her office was a gift box from the Sacramento Zoo. She just sighed, picked it up and pushed through her office door.

She settled herself and turned on her computer. While she was waiting for it to boot up Lisbon opened the gift box. Inside was a stuffed tiger cub, probably the cutest one she'd ever seen. It had a little heart, with the words "Be Mine" on it, attached to its open mouth by Velcro.

Okay, mildly adorable, she had to give him that. But seriously, a stuffed animal? It made her feel more like a fourteen-year-old girl than a woman on the receiving end of the attentions of Patrick Jane. As she tucked the toy into the same drawer with the origami rose, she wondered briefly if he was losing his touch. Maybe she wouldn't have to work so hard to ignore his antics today, after all.

###

Her confusion grew when she went to the break room to get coffee and found the second gift box on the counter. It had her name on it, was heavier than it looked, and smelled faintly of… cinnamon? Lisbon peeked inside to see a large scented candle of a beautiful dusty rose color. Again, nice but not outrageous. True, anyone coming through could have noticed it and looked to see what it was, but so what? It was so relatively innocuous that she couldn't imagine why he bothered. What was with the clichéd gifts?

Light began to dawn when the third box appeared in front of her place at the meeting table. She looked at it and immediately blushed when she read "Frederick's of Hollywood" on the lid. Lisbon lifted the lid to glance inside and a surprised laugh bubbled up inside her, followed by a mumbled "Oh dear God, Jane." There was no _way_ she was keeping this.

Lisbon wandered over, box in hand, to where Jane was demonstrating another one of his many mentalist tricks to the team. VanPelt's eyes widened when she saw the name on the lid, but she didn't say anything for fear of getting chewed out. Jane looked at Lisbon and grinned; he didn't think she'd dare scold him for that particular present in front of everyone.

He was wrong.

"Jane, I can't accept this. I appreciate the thought… I guess, but you'll have to take it back," she said quietly, wondering if he'd try to make an issue out of it.

"What's the matter, Lisbon? Don't you like it?" he asked, playing dumb. Oh, so he _was_ going to make a fuss. Well, enough was enough. She could go along.

"Like it? What use could I possibly have for a slingshot and an eye-patch made of red lace?" she shot back. Unfortunately Rigsby had just taken a swallow of his coffee and began to choke, coughing loudly. Cho actually smirked and pounded him on the back as VanPelt let out an unladylike snicker behind a hand.

Jane's eyes narrowed. He had no intention of letting Lisbon get the better of him, so he just kept on with it. Let's see how far she'd be able to stand this conversation. "Oh, if it's a question of the lingerie being the incorrect **size**, my dear, you only had to say so. I can of course exchange it if it's wrong."

"Oh, it's wrong all right, Jane. Wrong style, wrong color, and wrong material. But most of all, very wrong to buy barely-there underwear for your boss!" she snapped, but he didn't miss the way the corners of her mouth kept twitching. "So unless you want to be on the other end of a harassment complaint, I suggest you take this-" she went on, smacking him in the chest with the box, "-and put it somewhere out of sight until you can get rid of it."

She spun on her heel and walked briskly back to her office, but not before Jane noticed the smile she was trying to hide. This wasn't going the way he'd planned; she wasn't supposed to be amused, she was supposed to be annoyed and self-conscious. Had he played this hand too strongly and just made it comical?

Jane's thoughts were interrupted by Cho's ringing phone. When Cho answered it, he almost immediately started writing something down. Jane waited till he hung up, and then asked, "What's going on?"

"You know that cabin in the woods that's mentioned in the victim's journal? That was one of the sheriff's deputies, and he says they finally located it. He was asking if any of us would take the two hour drive there to check it out," Cho answered. "I'm up to my neck in these interview tapes that need reviewing, so it won't be me."

"I'll go," said Jane. "I probably have a better idea of what items there would be important to the case than the sheriff's deputy, anyway. We still need to find the victim's charm bracelet, after all."

"You're still on about that bracelet, Jane?" asked Rigsby. "Why does it even matter?"

"If it doesn't matter, why did the murderer bother to remove it from her body? And why go to the trouble of hiding it?" Jane replied, scribbling a quick note to Lisbon. "If Lisbon asks where I am, make sure to give her this when you tell her." He handed it to Rigsby.

"Sure man, whatever," Rigsby said, tucking it in the side of his desk calendar.

"Thanks," Jane said before heading out.

###

An hour later, Lisbon came out to talk to Cho. "Did you hear back from the sheriff's department?"

"Yeah, Boss, a deputy called about an hour ago when they found the cabin. Jane said he'd go and search the place."

"He went alone? Great. I'll follow after him; who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into if he's there the entire afternoon by himself," Lisbon said, shaking her head.

"Oh, Boss? Jane left a note for you before he left," Rigsby said, and passed her the slip of paper.

Her eyes skimmed over it, picking up the key words 'cabin' and 'volunteered'. Her eyebrows went up at the phrase "exhausting and penetrative search"; trust Jane to write something that sounded suggestive in a note to her this week. She just hoped Rigsby hadn't read it.

"Alright, I'm heading out. VanPelt, call ahead to the deputy and let him know I'm on my way. Jane most likely hasn't gotten there yet, but he'll be there long before me. Wouldn't want him to have to deal with Jane alone," Lisbon said, tossing the note into the trash on her way out the door.

###

When Lisbon got on the scene, she could see Jane's little blue contraption parked off to the side. She assumed he and the deputy were in the cabin, so was a bit surprised when she saw the deputy standing alone in front waiting for her.

"Good afternoon, deputy, I'm Agent Lisbon. Where's Mr. Jane?" she asked.

"He went around the back and in that way, Agent Lisbon," the deputy said. "I got the call from Agent VanPelt so I said I'd wait for you out here."

"Well, I'll go in the front and meet up with him. I assume Forensics has cleared the place?"

"Not exactly, ma'am. We don't have a forensics unit of our own, so we had to reach out to a neighboring jurisdiction. They should be here momentarily."

Lisbon glared at him, and squinted to read his badge. "You sent Jane in there before the crime scene people? That's unacceptable. This could cause a lot of trouble, Deputy Fontaine. Don't move; I'll be back in a moment."

She stepped onto the front porch and immediately noticed a strong smell of gasoline. When she pushed open the front door of the cabin, the smell got stronger. A quick glance around saw the lines of fuel all over the front of the house. This place had been turned into a death trap intentionally, and Jane was inside.

Her blood turned cold. Was he all right? As she stepped through the doorway, the strangest thought went through her mind. What if something had happened to him, and their last conversation in this world had been about rude underwear? She almost wanted to laugh, except for the knot in her stomach.

"Jane?" she called loudly. She heard shuffling in the back rooms, and then a familiar voice called back.

"Lisbon? What are you doing here?"

"Never mind Jane, we need to get out of this cabin. There's a nasty fuel trail set up in the front here, and the fumes are pretty fierce. We'll need a clean up crew to take care of it before we do any more searching. Come on out to me."

She saw Jane peek his head around the corner at the other end of the hall. "I'm almost done looking, it'll only take a minute," he argued.

"Do what I ask, Jane. Just come here and take my hand, okay?" she interrupted in a strained tone of voice, holding out her hand to him.

He looked at her like she was losing her mind, but he walked towards her. "Um, sure, Lisbon," he said, and reached out to grasp it.

She pulled him towards the front door, and his eyes began to water slightly from the fumes. He hadn't noticed any smell of gas at all in the back of the building; amazing how strong it was up here.

As soon as they went out the door and down the front steps, she rounded on him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you ask whether this building had been cleared by the evidence techs and decide to go in anyway when you heard the answer was no? Or did you not even ask?"

"Well, I-" Jane started, but Lisbon didn't let him finish.

"There's a reason we have procedures, Jane! There's a reason for every step in our process, and many of them are included specifically to keep agents working at a scene safe! What if that house had gone up in flames? I honestly can't _believe_ you sometimes," Lisbon shouted. Then she turned her wrath on the deputy.

"Fontaine, what on earth were you thinking? Do you just let anyone waltz into a possible crime scene? And you're telling me you couldn't smell any gas while you were waiting up front here for me for over an hour? This place positively reeks of it!" Lisbon continued, but Jane started to tune her out. It was actually kind of nice to have her yelling at someone who wasn't him once in a while.

He focused his attention back just in time to hear her say, "You are in serious trouble. If my consultant had been injured or killed-" Lisbon paused as the knot in her stomach twisted, so she clamped down on both the thought and the rest of the statement. "I'll be speaking with the sheriff, deputy. And you'll be lucky if you keep your job after this." With that, she dragged Jane away.

Jane let her lead him to the black SUV she'd driven here, and then he stopped. "Lisbon, you can relax. It's over and nothing bad happened."

"I know, Jane. The adrenaline just hasn't worn off yet, I suppose. And why aren't you upset at all? Your life was in danger, you know."

"Meh, by the time I knew that, you'd already come to rescue me," he replied, eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, well," she began, but didn't go any further. She just stood there, chewing her bottom lip.

He watched her for a moment, then said gently, "You weren't just angry, were you? You were afraid."

"Brilliant deduction," she answered sarcastically. "How did you manage to figure that one out?"

"Well, there are a number of slight tells that give you away, and a couple of more obvious ones as well. But you want to know the easiest way for me to tell?" He leaned back against the side of the vehicle, and she did the same. "We're fine now, Lisbon. We're safe and the danger has passed, correct?"

"Yes, so?"

"So, you're still holding my hand."

Lisbon looked down and noticed that he was right. "Yes, I am."

"You could let go now," he went on.

"I could," she said, "But I don't think I will."

Jane smiled. "That's okay, I don't mind. I mean, I will eventually have to have it for the drive back to headquarters," he said, and winced at the swat she gave him with her other hand. "But I can wait. I'll wait as long as you need, Lisbon."

Lisbon didn't turn to face him. She didn't think she wanted to see the look that was connected with those words. She didn't feel like she was in the proper condition to deal with the possible multiple meanings of it, either.

So instead she simply stayed there, standing next to him against the side of the SUV. She barely registered when his hand shifted a bit to lace his fingers with hers. Her head tilted ever so slightly to lean on his shoulder. It wasn't a familiar position, but at that moment it felt so comfortable and natural she didn't even really notice she'd done it. She just stood with him in easy silence, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal.

**TBC…**


	6. Dead Chivalry

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.**

**A/N: We've made it to Friday in this week of fluff, but the story's not over yet! There will be three more chapters after this one to cover the weekend and the following Monday. This chapter is quite mixed again, and this time gives Jane a chance to show a side of himself we rarely see. T rating for brief violence.**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 6: Dead Chivalry**

It was Friday morning again, and Lisbon had way too much to carry. She found herself juggling various boxes and files while she rode up in the elevator. She knew something was going to end up on the floor sooner or later; it was only a matter of time.

As the elevator doors opened, she saw Jane leaning against the wall outside them. As if he did it everyday, the most natural thing in the world. "Need some assistance, Lisbon?" he asked.

Lisbon opened her mouth to decline, but as she did one of the files decided to make a break for it. He smoothly stepped forward and caught it before it hit the floor, then grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, but said "Thank you, Jane. I could actually use some help." She placed half of her armload into his hands and started towards her office, with him trailing after her.

They got to her office and started setting things down. Jane said, "I'm going to go make myself some tea. Do you want me to bring some coffee back to you?"

"That's fine, Jane. I can get it for myself in a minute, don't bother," she replied.

"It's no bother at all, Lisbon. Come on; let me get it for you," he persisted. "That way you don't have to interrupt your file shuffling."

She sighed. "Yes, fine, thank you, Jane. No creamer, please; it tasted a bit off yesterday." He smiled at her again, and walked out of the door. She squinted suspiciously at his retreating back. Why was he being so helpful all of sudden? He had to be up to something.

In almost no time he was back. "You were right about the creamer; it's definitely past its prime," he said, placing her mug at her right hand. She picked it up, sipped and hummed in appreciation.

"Thank you, it's perfect. I'll see you later, Jane. Remember, we have to go talk to the victim's ex-boyfriend today, so no wandering off."

"The killer, you mean? Don't worry, Lisbon, I wouldn't miss that for the world."

"Jane, we don't know that he's the killer! At this point we're only going to talk to him, so don't give him any reason to run."

"**I** know he's the killer, so we'd better make sure he doesn't run. I'll try not to spook him, but I can't make any promises."

"What a surprise. All right, time for you to go away now. I really am swamped this morning."

"See you later, Lisbon," Jane said cheerfully, and left again.

###

"Why do I agree to let you drive me places when you always break the speed limit the entire time?" Lisbon grumbled, her knuckles white as she gripped the dashboard.

"Because Cho and Rigsby took your SUV and said they'd meet us there. And because you couldn't resist my charm when I flashed my brilliant smile and opened the passenger door for you enticingly," Jane answered, his eyes flicking over to her momentarily before refocusing on the road.

"Oh shut up, it was a rhetorical question," she said.

They continued driving until they reached the address given for the victim's ex-boyfriend. Jane parked, and in a flash was over to the other side of the car. Lisbon gave him an odd look as he opened the car door for her. "You don't need to keep doing that. I've got the whole door-opening process pretty much down, Jane."

"I know, but I happen think it's nice. Gentlemanly, even," he said.

She let out a soft chuckle. "You're getting stranger by the day," she said as she stepped out. She started to walk towards the house, but noticed Jane rummaging in the backseat. "What are you doing?"

"Hang on a moment… there it is! Okay, I'm ready," he said, slamming the door and walking towards her carrying a small black briefcase.

"What's in the case?" Lisbon asked him.

"It's not what's _in_ it that matters. This is exactly like the briefcase we found in the victim's apartment. I'm sure the ex-boyfriend will think that's what it is. He'll get nervous, and it'll make him more likely to slip up and reveal information," Jane said.

"Sounds like a long shot, Jane. Let me do the talking for now. Ah, I see Cho and Rigsby pulling up. Let's get moving."

They stepped up to the front door, while Cho and Rigsby stayed by the SUV. Lisbon knocked loudly. A few minutes later, a disheveled young man opened the door and peered out at her and Jane. "Yeah? What do you want?"

"Are you Todd Hathaway?" Lisbon asked.

"Who wants to know?"

"My name's Agent Teresa Lisbon, with the California Bureau of Investigation. Could we talk to you for moment, Mr. Hathaway?"

"No, I'm in the middle of something. Come back another time."

"I promise we'll be as brief as possible. Could we come in?"

"No." He came out and closed the door behind him. "You want to talk? We can talk on the porch," Hathaway said. He looked at Jane. "Who's this guy? Is he planning on saying anything?"

"I'm Patrick Jane, Mr. Hathaway," Jane said, but didn't offer his hand. Instead he kept one hand on the small of Lisbon's back, and waved with the fingers of the other hand. Jane saw Hathaway's eyes widen in panic as he caught a glimpse of the briefcase. He'd been right to bring it.

"We'd like to talk to you about the death of your ex-girlfriend," Lisbon began, but Hathaway cut her off.

"Look, I already talked to the cops about it. I'm sick of going over it again and again. I hadn't seen her in months; we broke up last year. I don't know what she was doing before she died. If that's all you want to hear about, you can leave now," he said angrily, and turned to go back in the house.

Lisbon put her hand on the door to block him. "Please, just a few questions. I know it's frustrating, but it would really help us out."

"I don't care about helping you, ma'am. Get your hand off my door right now."

"Mr. Hathaway, let's not make this harder than it has to be-" Lisbon started.

"Are you deaf? God, I can't _stand_ lady cops," Hathaway spat out, and before anyone else could react he pulled back and punched Lisbon in the face.

Lisbon's vision went blurry as the pain and impact hit her. But in the next few moments she was able to see two things happen extremely quickly.

The second thing she saw was Cho, running faster than she'd ever seen before, then flipping Hathaway onto his stomach and handcuffing him.

But the _first_ thing she saw was Jane swinging his arm in an underhand arc and catching Hathaway dead in the eye with the briefcase, knocking him down flat onto his back.

One hand covering her right cheekbone and eye, Lisbon shouted "Damn it, Jane! Get back to your car right now!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Lisbon. You can't see straight and I'm not leaving you to try and walk like that," Jane said, for once with no trace of humor in his voice.

Lisbon sighed, but didn't argue. "Cho, you and Rigsby take Mr. Hathaway here back to the CBI. Jane and I will be right behind you." She then placed her hand gently on Jane's arm and let him lead her back to his vehicle.

She didn't protest this time when he opened the door for her and helped her inside. She just buckled her seatbelt and sat quietly until he got in. "You know this means an official write up, Jane. Come to my office at the end of the day," she said.

He shrugged. "What's another write up?" he said under his breath as he started the car.

###

That evening, Lisbon waited for Jane to come see her. She'd drafted the incident report, and included the verbal reprimand section. She almost hated doing it (her face still hurt, hours later), but rules were rules.

Jane had been very well behaved for the rest of the day, including staying out of the interrogation room during Hathaway's confession. He'd even stopped in with more coffee for her at one point.

He finally walked in and sat down. "Time to go through the motions so we can get out of here," he said.

"This isn't only going through the motions, Jane," Lisbon said, even though to her that's exactly what it felt like. "You can't attack a suspect with a briefcase, and you know that."

Jane's eyes narrowed. "He _hit_ you, Lisbon. You're going to have a black eye. He's lucky that's all I did."

"No, _you're_ lucky that's all you did. This way you're sitting here getting chewed out by your boss, instead of sitting downstairs getting booked for assault."

"If it had been necessary to book me, I would've understood. And I wouldn't have done one thing different."

Lisbon tapped her fingers lightly on her desktop. "I don't want you getting physical with people on my behalf, Jane. I know it may seem strange from the outside, but when it comes to the two of us, I'm the muscle. I'm the one with the firearm; I'm the one who tackles people when it's necessary. Usually you're very good at keeping that in mind. This has never come up before."

"Let me ask you a question: would I still be in here if I was Cho or Rigsby?"

Lisbon paused to think for a moment. She decided to answer him frankly. "Possibly not," she said. "But they're agents and what happened could fall under their job description. As a consultant, you're not expected to perform that kind of action."

"Fine. Typical Lisbon. I try to defend you, and you yell at me."

"Look… don't hit people, Jane. That's the official line." Then she sighed. "Unofficially, thank you for knocking him down before he gave me more than a black eye."

That made him smile. "Unofficially, you're welcome."

Lisbon took a deep breath. "Well, some week, huh? This crazy case, plus your shenanigans every day. It'll be almost boring now that it's all over."

Jane chuckled. "Oh Lisbon, it's not all over."

She stared at him. "What?"

"It's not over. There's still the weekend left."

"Oh no, no Jane. You are **not** commandeering my weekend for 'pay attention to me while I drive you crazy' time. I need to relax."

"I can help you relax," he said with a wink.

"I'll lock you out."

"I'll pick it. You know I can."

"I'll arrest you for breaking and entering."

"Because I want to see you outside of work? That's pretty harsh, Lisbon."

She looked at him quizzically. "What's the deal? You've proven your point repeatedly, embarrassed me thoroughly, and to top it all off were absolutely right about the identity of the murderer, again. What do you need my weekend for?"

He smiled. "Maybe I just want to be with you," he said.

"Oh." She didn't really know what else to say.

"So if I showed up at your apartment tomorrow, what do you think my chances of spending some time with you would be?"

"Fair. Possibly even fairly good, if you give me a call before you come over," Lisbon said. Was she actually making a date with Jane? It didn't feel nearly as strange as she'd always thought it would.

"That doesn't sound like too much to ask in return."

"Well… I guess I'll talk to you then."

"Yes you will. Good night, Lisbon."

"Good night. But seriously Jane, no more white knight stuff, okay? Chivalry is dead; let it rest in peace."

Jane shook his head in mock despair. "If chivalry is dead, it's only because _you_ killed it, woman," he shot back.

All she could do in response was laugh.

**TBC…**


	7. Disarming Dinner

**Disclaimer: Not owned by me.**

**A/N: It's the weekend! This chapter contains the Saturdate. How much trouble could Jane cause Lisbon when it's just the two of them? Quite a bit, knowing him. But will he go that route, or will he adopt a different strategy entirely? **

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 7: Disarming Dinner**

Lisbon was on her couch, listening to Jane crash around in her kitchen as he made dinner for the two of them. She could hear him humming along with his favorite radio station at times. Who would have thought she'd ever feel totally at peace with Patrick Jane in her apartment?

If someone had told her a week ago this would happen, she most likely would have laughed in disbelief. And then punched them. Sitting here right now and thinking about it, however, the only word for what she was feeling was… normal. As if this was the way it _should_ be, rather than the first instance of a completely out of the ordinary situation.

###

Knowing that Jane rarely slept well, Lisbon was prepared for his call when it came that morning. "Hi, Jane," she'd said as soon as she clicked her phone on.

"Good morning, Lisbon. Do you like lasagna?"

"What? I mean, yes, why do you ask?" She could hear his smile over the phone.

"Well, I was originally thinking of taking you out to dinner tonight, but then I realized you might not want to go on a date with a black eye. How many questioning looks do you want to get, after all? So I thought instead that I'd come over and cook you dinner. How does that sound?" he'd asked.

Lisbon was a little overwhelmed, but rallied quickly. "Um, yeah, that sounds okay, Jane. Really nice, actually. So, when do you want to come over?"

"Well, I need to get some things together, and then go pick up ingredients. Let's say in a few hours, around one in the afternoon?"

"That sounds just fine. It'll give me a chance to tidy a little, too. I'll see you soon, Jane."

"Bye, Lisbon."

Luckily her apartment wasn't too much of a disaster area, so she was long finished cleaning up before she heard the knock on her door. She opened it to see Jane standing there, grinning widely with an armload of groceries. "Hey, Lisbon, can you grab the wine? It needs to chill and I'm running out of hands," he said as she stepped aside to let him in. She'd taken the bottle automatically and put it in the fridge.

"Do you need any help?" Lisbon asked.

"Not at all. I'll take care of everything, you just relax," he'd immediately replied, gently but firmly leading her out of her kitchen.

###

So now, a glass of the nice red wine in hand, she sat and enjoyed the bustling and music he was creating in her home. He'd just stopped humming and started singing along with the song currently on the radio. She heard him sing, "_Sometimes the things I do astound me. Mostly whenever you're around me…_" and felt an unexpected rush of affection, despite the warning she'd given him about his singing on Monday.

Lisbon was conflicted; on one hand, he could still be just playing around with her. But something else inside of her had simply surrendered to the comfort of his presence. It even made a treacherous part of her wonder what it would be like to do this every Saturday.

Jane walked into the living room and stopped to watch her for a moment. It was nice to see her so unguarded and free of tension. And it was rare that she would just sit and think calmly in front of him. "Hey Lisbon, what are you thinking about?" he asked, jarring her from her reverie.

She blinked a few times in the fading light, and reached over to turn on a lamp. Then she looked up at him with a challenging smile. "You tell me."

He leaned against the doorway, crossed his arms and regarded her silently. "You're thinking about how homey and domestic this all is," he said after a moment. "You're surprised at the lack of awkwardness that you were sure would have to be there. And secretly you're wondering what it might be like, every once in a while, not to be unstoppable crime-fighters Jane and Lisbon, but happy couple Patrick and Teresa."

"Not bad; extremely close, in fact. Are you sure you can't read minds, Jane?"

"I don't have to read your mind, Lisbon. I know what you're feeling because I'm feeling the same way."

"So in reality you told me what _you're_ thinking instead. Sneaky, but effective."

"Ah, three words that could apply to me in so many situations," he said with a smirk.

"Too true," she replied, sighing. "Hey, how's dinner coming along?"

"Everything should be ready in about half an hour," he replied. "The complete menu includes avocado salads, garlic bread, lasagna, the red wine of course, and homemade chocolate mousse for dessert."

Lisbon went through the menu in her head. Something about it was registering in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite be sure. It wasn't until she ran through the ingredient list that she realized what was nagging at her. He wasn't actually trying something _that_ obvious, was he?

But all she said was, "Sounds perfect, Jane. I'm genuinely looking forward to it," and gave him a gentle smile. She would call him on it when he least expected it.

###

An hour and a half later, Jane was finishing a long and convoluted story about his carnival days. It began when he asked her, "Tell me a true story you've never told anyone else at the CBI."

She'd said "You first," as much out of force of habit as anything else.

But what started as merely a peace offering on his part quickly became an uproarious tale that included several exotic animals, a double date with a set of conjoined twin violinists, and an old-fashioned tar-and-feathering. Lisbon had long since finished her food, thank goodness; she didn't want to choke on the chuckles that were coming so freely from his story.

Jane wound it all up with, "And then he said 'Oh no, Boy Wonder, not with **my** elephant you don't' and I had to spend the night in the big top tent."

Lisbon was practically crying with laughter. "Oh my God, Jane. That's hilarious; I can't believe you've never told it before. Did it really happen like that?" she asked.

"Well, I _may_ have embellished slightly. The conjoined twins were more fiddlers than violinists," Jane said. "Now it's your turn. Come on, Lisbon, and make it a good one."

Lisbon shook her head. "It's not nearly as entertaining as yours, but there is one that comes to mind. And I've never told it to anyone I know now."

"Go ahead, I can't wait to hear it," Jane coaxed.

"Well, I think I should start by saying that I think everyone has an awkward phase," Lisbon began.

"The beautiful and confident Agent Teresa Lisbon had an awkward phase? Heavens!" Jane quipped in pretend horror. "When did that happen?"

"I never had time for one as a kid, I guess, so I got mine when I went to college. This was before I joined the academy and started with San Francisco PD, of course."

"Of course," Jane said. "Go on."

She went on to tell him the story of the first guy who'd ever paid any real attention to her in college. It wasn't really a memory that made her seem particularly bright, but she couldn't stop herself from relating it. She explained the surprise at such a cute guy smiling at her and remembering her name. And she blushed when she mentioned her clumsy attempts at flirting.

Jane sat and listened avidly. He could tell it was difficult for her to share personal stories with someone she still associated with work. So he made every attempt to keep her at ease, and made sure that whenever he grinned or snickered, she knew it wasn't at her expense. The story was enjoyable to hear, especially for its novelty, but watching her body language gradually shifting to relaxed again was even better.

She went on to say, "So when he asks 'I haven't seen you at the store in over a week, how've you been?' I decide to answer him honestly rather than just saying 'fine'. So I tell him 'Well, actually I've been a little sick.' He says 'Oh, that's a shame. You know, Teresa, God doesn't want you to be sick.' Out of nowhere!"

Jane started laughing. "Oh, noooo," he said.

Lisbon found herself trying not to laugh as well, although it hadn't been very amusing at the time. "Oh yes, Jane. As it turned out, he was a member of some bizarre cult and had been sizing me up **the entire time** as a possible new recruit. And can you believe I actually sat there for twenty minutes listening to him go on about it? Thankfully my best friend came along, and I was able to make excuses and go to dinner with her. Naturally, I avoided him for the rest of the year."

"No wonder," said Jane between gasps for air. "I have to confess, that wasn't where I thought the story was going to go. It was so much better! And you've never shared that with the team?"

"Of course not! It's embarrassing and makes me look like an idiot, no matter how funny it seems in retrospect. Not a story to inspire confidence in a team leader, Jane."

"Oh Lisbon," he said, dabbing lightly at his eyes with a napkin. "Sharing a few experiences that don't always cast you in the best light would never make VanPelt, Cho and Rigsby respect you any less. And it might make them like you even more."

"They don't have to like me even more, Jane. I try not to get too personal most of the time, it's unprofessional." Lisbon countered.

"Yes, yes, I know, and you got the 'boss training' and I didn't. Just… think about it. Are you ready for dessert?"

"Oh, I don't know, Jane. Everything was excellent and I'm pretty full…"

"Come on, it's just a small portion. Perfectly sized to follow that meal, I promise."

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Okay, you talked me into it. I shouldn't miss out on homemade chocolate mousse, after all."

###

After dessert, Lisbon thought Jane would make a hasty retreat. But instead he took care of the entire dinner clean up, and poured them both another glass of wine. They settled on opposite ends of her couch, turned to face each other, and kept talking. She knew he was using his charm to draw her out and make her reveal more, but it didn't seem to bother her, oddly enough.

During a lull in the conversation, she looked pointedly at him and said, "I know what you did with dinner."

"What?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused for a moment.

"I know that this dinner, while very nice, was still part of this week's big joke."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because every dish contained at least one ingredient considered to be an aphrodisiac. And even though you would never actually expect them to _work_, you knew I'd figure it out and find it to be questionable behavior. Especially after your promise never to try and seduce me over a meal," she said.

"I think you're giving me too much credit for elaborate cleverness here. I just thought those foods went together well, that's all," Jane said. And she would have believed him, she _really_ would have, except for the tiny sparkle in his eyes that gave him away.

"Deny it all you want, but I know you did it on purpose. Did it work out the way you planned?"

"Dinner did. I wanted to make you more comfortable with me in a non-work setting, and you obviously are."

"Well, as much as you get on my nerves most of the time, Jane, you can be very disarming when you make the effort."

"It's only fair, considering how charming you can be without any effort at all," he replied.

Lisbon felt her face warm, and was sure she was blushing once again. She didn't need a mirror; the look on Jane's face confirmed it. He smiled and reached out, stroking her hand briefly before setting his wineglass on the coffee table.

"Well, it's nearly midnight," he said as he got up from the couch and stretched. "I should be heading out."

She felt oddly… disappointed? Why? What was she expecting him to do? She watched as he gathered his things and made his way towards the door. "Just to warn you, I'll probably call again tomorrow," he said. "Sleep well, Lisbon."

She got up to follow him, and the words popped out of her mouth before she had a chance to reconsider them. "Really, Jane? All that effort and you're not even going to try to kiss me goodnight?"

He paused without turning back around, leaning one hand on the door. "I'd like to very much, but I'd never presume when it came to kissing you."

"You do it with nearly everything _else_ when it comes to me."

"Granted, but this is one time I'd feel terrible about making the wrong assumption. Not to mention I might end up in the hospital," he added cheekily.

"I promise not to send you to the emergency room, but that's as easy as I'm going to make it for you, Jane. You'll just have to be brave and give it a shot," she said.

When he turned around to face her, the warmth and desire in his eyes made her breath hitch. She looked away, not really watching him as he stepped closer to her. She felt, rather than saw, him reach out and trace her cheek with a finger that came to rest under her chin. He tapped lightly, and she lifted her face to look at him again.

So close, she could see his pupils had almost eclipsed the color of his eyes. What had he once told her about pupil dilation? The thought was lost as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers.

_Soft_, was her first thought. Then _warm_. Then _sweet_. The kiss was so tender, not the way she'd imagined it. And she **had** imagined it, whether she was prepared to admit it or not. She placed her hands, palms down, on his chest. Her lips parted in a quiet sigh of contentment, and she wasn't surprised when his tongue slipped past them and deepened the kiss. One hand cupped her cheek, and his other arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. She made a pleased sound and nipped his bottom lip lightly, before soothing it with a swipe of her tongue.

They broke the kiss before too much longer, and his warm breath caressed the side of her neck as he hugged her close. Her arms went around him in return as he murmured "Good night, Teresa."

She shivered slightly at his unexpected use of her first name. "Good night," she answered, giving him a last squeeze before letting him go. This time he didn't turn back; he just walked out of the door and closed it behind him.

**TBC… song lyrics are from "Like Someone in Love".**


	8. Mischief and A Movie

**Disclaimer: I am not officially connected in any way to the TV show "The Mentalist". Or pretty much anything else mentioned in this chapter.**

**A/N: I'd really like to thank everyone for the phenomenal response to this fic so far; over 100 reviews! Now to our story: We've made it to Sunday. Why does Lisbon ever agree with Jane's plans when she knows they're going to cause trouble? I think it's because the results are usually worth it, even if not in the way he originally thought.**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 8: Mischief and A Movie**

Lisbon had slept late, and found herself blinking in the Sunday morning sunshine as her phone went off on the nightstand beside her. –Please don't be a case,- she thought. She exhaled in relief when she checked the caller ID and saw who it was. "Good morning, Jane," she said, her voice still slightly husky from sleep.

"Good morning, Lisbon. I woke you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but I don't mind. I'm just glad it isn't work telling me there's some murder scene we have to drive five hours out to in the summer heat. For once, I'm really not in the mood."

"I'm glad I don't have to give you unwanted news, then. Anyway, I said I would probably call today."

"I remember. What's on your mind?" she asked him.

"You." The single word made Lisbon inhale sharply. Memories of their kiss last night came into clear focus. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking again.

"That's sweet, Jane. I've been thinking about you, too."

"In your sleep?"

"Dreaming about you, then," she said, the annoyance back in her voice. "Did you call for a reason, or just to trade affectionate barbs until you get bored?"

"I've always enjoyed the second, but it's actually the first. I'd like to spend the day with you; that is, if you don't have other plans."

"No other plans, Jane. As soon as you told me that you were including the weekend in your trouble-making, I made sure I had nothing else going on."

"You cleared your schedule for me? I'm flattered."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," she huffed. "What did you want to do today?"

"I propose a compromise. We spend all day together and we each get to pick something to do. It's my idea, so I get to choose what we do first."

"Shouldn't **I** get to choose what we do first, since you're trying to convince me to go along with this idea of yours?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" he said with a laugh. "But no, my idea is time sensitive so I'd go first."

"I don't know, Jane," she said, pretending to consider refusing. "You're not offering me a lot of incentive to agree here."

"An entire day basking in my presence doesn't count as incentive enough?"

She paused a beat before answering. "No."

Jane sighed dramatically. "You wound me, my dear. I realize I'm asking you for a little faith here, but my idea really is a good one!"

Lisbon's resolve was weakening, but she still tried to sound stern. "I don't know, Jane. I was thinking about having a nice lazy Sunday, with movies and ice cream. Nothing too strenuous, you know?"

"I promise we can do that tonight, if you'd like. All you have to do is say the word. And agree to my choice of activity for today, of course. I can tell you want to, you know. You can't fool me."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jane, I want to. Come over and give me the details of your idea, and as long as it won't hurt or get us arrested, I'll think about it."

"Thank you, Lisbon. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

###

By the time Jane arrived, Lisbon had gotten dressed and made coffee. She padded to her front door and let him in. "Hi."

"Good morning again."

"So, tell me this wonderful idea for a fun activity for us to do together that's so time sensitive."

He grinned. "You're going to love it."

Jane went on to describe a strange prank he'd obviously played before. He wanted to pretend that both he and Lisbon were tourists in Sacramento. They would go to the visitor's bureau, ask for directions to a famous landmark (preferably one located in another city for full humorous effect) in a foreign language, and have fun watching the employee of the Sacramento Tourism Board try to deal with them. He was practically rubbing his hands together with glee at the prospect, but Lisbon was unimpressed.

She crossed her arms and shook her head at him. "No, Jane, I'm not doing it."

"Why not? Come on, Lisbon. You promised you'd let me pick what I wanted us to do," said Jane, almost whining.

"No!" she repeated. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid, it's amusing," he replied.

Lisbon sighed. "Look, when you mess with people because we're trying to solve a murder, that's one thing. I _still_ don't like it, but I grudgingly accept that it can be useful. But bothering people who are just trying to do their jobs is not funny, it's mean."

Jane took her hand and smiled. "We're only playing a little trick. It's not mean because it's not hurting anybody. If anything, we're brightening their day by giving them a great story to tell later. We're actually _helping_ them," he said.

"Really? How do you figure?"

"Their job is boring! Every day it's the same thing: 'Tell us about the Gold Rush, can we get directions to the State Capitol building, where's the bathroom,' etc. After we get through with our little joke, they'll be able to go home and say 'You will not _believe_ what I had to deal with at work today.' It'll be good for them."

"You have an odd take on the world, do you know that? We'll look like morons."

"You're considering it, I can hear it in your voice," he said, sounding far too pleased with himself for her liking. "And no, we won't. Can you speak any German? We could pull off German tourists."

"No, Jane. I studied French in school. And most of that's long gone with no use for it! I would only be able to limp along."

"Okay, then I'll do the talking. I know some French. We'll be French tourists instead."

"Excuse me, I still haven't said yes to this idiotic activity," said Lisbon.

"True, but we both know you're going to agree eventually, don't we? Why not save time, say yes now, and get the fun started?" Jane asked.

She opened her mouth to keep arguing, but something stopped her. He wanted to play a basically harmless joke, and not only was it on someone who wasn't her, but he wanted her in on it instead. How often did that happen?

Lisbon could almost feel his impish desire for mischief rubbing off on her; it happened more frequently the longer she knew him, though she would deny it if asked. It was as if he made her _want_ to be bad. She shook her head, but still had to smile when she said, "All right."

The look of happy triumph on his face was somehow irritating and endearing at the same time.

###

"I still can't believe I agreed to this," Lisbon whispered as they stood in line at the Sacramento tourism bureau. They had adjusted their outfits to look more like fashionable foreign tourists before heading there.

"Relax, it'll be fine. In fact, it'll be better than fine, it'll be hilarious," Jane whispered back. "Just don't say anything, and don't smile. Americans smile at strangers; Europeans usually don't."

"Oh really? I should frown quietly in the background, that's your advice?"

"Yes. Now, shh, it's almost our turn."

Lisbon was silent as they waited to walk up to the counter. Her arm was looped through Jane's, and she leaned on him ever so slightly. She told herself it was part of the ruse that they were a couple. But the "couple" part of this bit of nonsense didn't feel like deception. It felt normal and natural and real.

They finally got up to the counter, and Lisbon stayed quiet as she watched Jane begin. He gave the young woman across from them his most winning smile, and then asked "Excusez-moi, d'où êtes le pont en porte d'or?" ("Excuse me, where is the Golden Gate Bridge?") in what was possibly the _**worst**_ French accent Lisbon had ever heard in her life. She didn't know whether to wince or laugh, so compromised by coughing quietly and hiding her face for a moment.

But when the young woman smiled back just as brightly and informed him in flawless French that the Golden Gate was, in fact, in San Francisco, Lisbon lost it. She started to laugh helplessly, steadying herself on Jane's arm as she tried to stay upright. She clapped her other hand over her mouth and stood there, silently shaking.

Jane's grin vanished, and his eyes went from the tourism employee to the nearly incapacitated Lisbon and back. He said politely, "Would you excuse us, please?" in his own voice, and pulled Lisbon quickly out of the building.

They found a park bench not too far away, and sat down as Lisbon slowly regained control. "Oh Jane, you were absolutely right," she said, slightly out of breath. "That _was_ hilarious."

Jane was a little miffed. "It was a flop. Trust me to get the one employee who actually speaks fluent French! What a waste of a good joke," he grumbled.

"It's not a waste at all," she replied. "It really made me laugh. Well done, Jane," she continued, and gave him a wink before dissolving into chuckles again.

He glared at her for a second, but seeing her so honestly and completely amused quickly overrode his disappointment. He was smiling shortly, and then laughing with her as they sat side by side on the bench.

After a bit, she turned slightly towards him and asked, "How often do you pull that joke on someone?"

"Honestly? It's been years, and last time it worked out according to plan, thank you very much."

"I'm really surprised it's been that long, Jane. I would think you'd do something that made you so happy more often."

"Well, there are lots of things that make me happy, Lisbon," he said. He slipped an arm around her before continuing "But you make me want to **be** happy."

Lisbon was surprised at the serious turn the conversation had suddenly taken, but she could tell this was something she needed to hear. "Is that so?" she asked simply, inviting him to go on.

"Oh yes. You're the one who doesn't just make me happy; you make me want to stay happy. To forget that I have something important and terrible I need to do. Of course I still can't forget, but the fact that I now sometimes really wish I could is a little unnerving."

"I don't know what to say, Jane. You know how I feel about your take on justice; we don't need to go through that again. But I think I'm glad at least some part of you wants to move on. One question: why are you telling me this, as in flat-out telling me with no double-speak or innuendo?"

"Well, you know what they say: when all else fails, try the truth," he answered simply, and reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

In that moment, Lisbon forgot she was downtown on a busy Sunday. She forgot she was on a public bench in full view of anyone walking by. She forgot she was anywhere but in Jane's arms, and leaned forward to softly kiss him.

She intended to pull away immediately, but he rumbled gentle disapproval in his chest and tightened his hold on her as he kissed her back. She sighed and relaxed, letting her fingers softly stroke through his wild blonde curls as she hummed against his lips with pleasure.

Neither of them was sure how long they sat wrapped up in each other, but cool drops of water gradually drew them out of their embrace. Lisbon was confused for a moment. "It's raining?" she said. "Crap, it's not supposed to rain!"

Jane smirked at her grumpy tone. "It isn't supposed to, but it is. We're going to have to race to the car or we'll get soaked."

They disentangled and stood up. He held out his hand wordlessly to her, and she raised an eyebrow momentarily before grabbing it as they ran through the rain back to his car.

###

That evening, dry and cozy, Lisbon and Jane sat together on her couch watching a movie. Jane had a bowl of popcorn he was munching contentedly, and Lisbon was digging spoonfuls of chocolate ice cream out of a pint container. He had an arm around her shoulders, and she was cuddled into his side.

They had some trouble deciding what to watch, but finally chose "Pitch Black" since Lisbon was in the mood for something spooky and unsettling. She had never seen it, but Jane had and liked it, so he agreed. There were a few moments where she'd been startled by the action on screen and jumped slightly, but his soft touch on her shoulder calmed her instantly.

The movie ended, but neither of them made any move to get up. They sat for a few minutes longer, just reveling in their comfortable companionship.

"We have to work in the morning," Lisbon stated flatly after a while.

"True. Is that your roundabout way of asking me to go home?" Jane asked with a smile.

"No. I really want you to stay, actually," she answered, and reached up to grasp the hand still on her shoulder.

He turned his head towards her and placed a kiss on her temple. She shifted slightly and faced him. Her fingertips brushed over his cheek and lips as a wave of tenderness washed over her.

He shook his head. "This is getting awkward," he muttered, but rather than move away he pulled her into his lap to straddle his legs. He held her close. "That's better," he said, lips ghosting over her collarbone.

Her arms went around his neck as she settled closer to him. She nuzzled his hair as he continued to pepper small wet kisses on her throat. She placed one hand on his face and pulled back to look at him. The sweet yearning in his eyes melted her completely, and she gave him a chaste kiss that quickly turned into anything but.

His hands stroked over her back, then slipped underneath the hem of her shirt to brush the soft skin at her waist. She couldn't help the needy little whimper in the back of her throat as she opened her lips in further invitation.

When they eventually broke apart for air, he rested his forehead against hers as he panted slightly. "Oh Teresa, I love you so," he whispered.

Her eyes snapped open. "You do?" she asked incredulously.

"How could I not? And you needn't sound so surprised; I've only been telling you I loved you all week," he said.

"No, you've been playing a series of pseudo-romantic games with me all week. You _love_ me?"

"Yes, I do. I told you only some of it was a game. Love is one thing I'd never lie about."

Lisbon shook her head as if to clear it. "Patrick, we don't have to go this route. We can keep this light. I don't need grand declarations making our situation even more complicated," she said, but even she could tell that it didn't sound like she meant it.

"If you love me too, then it's already complicated. And if you don't… well, then this becomes a mess of an entirely different kind," he said with a frown.

She bit her lip. "You don't have to worry about that, because I do. I do love you. You break the rules, cause me trouble and paperwork, and infuriate me. But at the end of it all, I still love you."

He laughed softly. "Complicated or no, that's a relief," he said, and kissed her again.

She smiled against his mouth. "Do you want to spend the night?" she murmured between gentle pecks.

"That _has_ to be a trick question. Of course I do," he answered, making no attempt to hide the longing in his voice. "But we don't need to… rush things, Teresa. You're the only one I want. I don't require, um, extra incentive to hold my interest."

Lisbon took a deep breath, and exhaled slightly shakily. "In that case, you'd better get going. I think I've had enough temptation this evening if we're taking it slow."

"You're probably right," he said, but gave her another lingering kiss instead of letting her go.

She leaned into it briefly, but then backed off and climbed out of his lap. "Come on, Jane, quit stalling. I'll see you at work tomorrow." She stood up, pulled him up and walked him to her door.

He opened it, and then paused. "Tell me, how bad was this week for you, really?" he asked, standing in the open doorway.

She thought for a minute. "At times it was excruciating, I won't lie. I'm thankful things will be back to normal tomorrow. But I'm almost glad it happened, or else I wouldn't have gotten this weekend with you. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does. It's the best time I've had in years, too. Want to do it again next weekend?"

"Why don't we play it by ear for now? Now, go _on_ Jane. Saying goodnight to you is going to last until morning otherwise."

"Okay, I'm leaving for real this time, I swear," he said. She watched him walk away and heard him singing again. "_Give me your lips for just a moment, and my imagination will make that moment live. Give me what you alone can give: a kiss to build a dream on…"_

Who was she kidding? After this past week, things at work were never going to be normal again.

**TBC… song lyrics from "A Kiss To Build a Dream On"**


	9. Normal or Not

**Disclaimer: Not at all mine.**

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone again for reading; you motivated this story's creation! Extra thanks goes to DaWhoGirl32 (you're awesome!) for encouraging me after I'd written the first chapter and was undecided about posting this fic. This chapter is the conclusion to the story: It's Monday again, and everything should be the way it was before at the CBI. But is it?**

**Under the Rose**

**Chapter 9: Normal or Not**

Lisbon sat in her SUV in the CBI parking lot. She was early as usual, so she had plenty of time to collect her thoughts before heading into the building.

What a difference a week made! Last Monday she had no idea what the days ahead had in store. That she could be that embarrassed, that charmed and that frightened in the span of five days had surprised her. And who knew that something like the past weekend could happen between her and Jane? Two days full of affection and romance and laughter had admittedly floored her.

But now she worried: what was today going to be like? He'd said the week was up. That meant (hopefully) that his over-the-top pranks weren't going to continue. But after his confession of love last night, and her admission that she felt the same way… something was going to happen. It had to. It couldn't really be just the same as ever, could it?

She found herself treading carefully through the bullpen as she made her way to her office. Jane's couch was unoccupied, so it wasn't that she was trying not to disturb him. It was almost as if she was expecting something to jump out at her, like more outlandish flowers or inappropriate underwear.

As the rest of the team began to arrive and the workday began in earnest, Lisbon still couldn't shake the expectant feeling. She moved around, greeting VanPelt, Cho, Rigsby and Jane in turn as each arrived. She got her coffee as usual, and while she did bump into Jane again in the kitchenette, he did little more than offer her a warm smile as he began to fix his first cup of tea for the day.

She received no reason to doubt his word that morning. He still bantered with her as usual, but kept it within the old boundaries. No silly presents or harried deliverymen materialized to disturb her. Everything seemed normal; so why was it just making her more agitated? She couldn't figure it out.

-I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, that's what it is,- she thought. –_Something_ has to happen, and until it does I'll never relax.-

###

The first indication that she was right came immediately after a group briefing on their newest case. When the meeting was finished, Lisbon opened the door to the room and let the team out in front of her. Jane waited until the other three left, gently pushed the door closed again, and swept her into his arms almost before she knew what was happening. He kissed her fast and fiercely and then simply walked out, leaving her to say, "What the hell was that?" to an empty room.

She followed after him, and by the time she caught up he was already stretched out on his couch. She gave him a pointed look and raised her eyebrows, but he just smiled back at her and shrugged. He obviously had no intention of explaining himself. Not that she'd really expected him to.

The second incident occurred when they had to conduct some witness interviews that afternoon. There were a lot of people to deal with, so the team was spread out thinly. Only she and Jane were paired off to talk to an entire family on a large dairy farm. They'd exited her vehicle, and were walking down the long driveway towards the house when Lisbon felt Jane's right arm slip around her waist. His thumb hooked into a belt loop, and after two awkward steps he perfectly matched her stride and pace. His hand stayed there until they climbed onto the porch and knocked on the door.

But the _trouble_ didn't start until they were invited inside and began questioning the family. Jane was in rare form, even for him, and managed to accuse both spouses of adultery, expose the youngest son's drug problem and earn himself yet another solid punch to the nose. And all in less than fifteen minutes. Lisbon seethed with anger as she walked with him back to the parked SUV. -Good luck getting help from that group in the future,- she thought darkly. -Any further questioning will be like pulling teeth.-

When they got into the vehicle and Jane took his hand away from his sore nose, she wordlessly handed him the tissue box. He took one to dab at his streaming eyes, and then he started to laugh.

For some reason, that was the last straw for her. "You think this is funny, Jane?" she snarled. "Alienating every single person in a large group of potential witnesses and making our job a lot more difficult is funny?"

"I can't help it, Lisbon. I'm doomed to see the humor in human foibles, even my own to a degree," said Jane between chuckles.

"Well forgive me if I don't join in your amusement," she snapped as they started the drive down the lonely country road. "You know, even though you always deserve it, I'm actually starting to get tired of watching you get punched. Boxers take too many hits to the head, Jane, and you know what happens? They get brain damage! Though in your case I sometimes worry if it's already too late to prevent that." She was further irritated when instead of acting apologetic following her speech, Jane dissolved into a further round of laughter.

"Lisbon, you're right, this isn't funny. But **you** are funny. It does my heart good to know that you're never too busy or upset to really let me have it."

"Yeah, Jane, I'm an absolute _riot_. See how hysterical it is when I request your transfer and toss you out on your ass so fast it'll make your head spin."

"Oh, well done, my dear. Managing to get two parts of the body into a single threat. That's bound to finally make me straighten up and fly right."

Lisbon's tone went icy. "Watch it, Jane," she bit out. "I put up with a lot from you, but you're edging towards genuine disrespect and that's where I draw the line."

The smile vanished from Jane's face. "What? Lisbon, I didn't mean… look, I'm sorry," he began, but she cut him off.

"Just stop, okay? Stop. Just sit there and be quiet for the rest of the trip," she said.

And to her amazement, he was.

###

That evening, Lisbon sat at her desk and attempted to concentrate on the day's paperwork. Unfortunately, her mind kept focusing on Jane and the inevitable evening confrontation. She'd been relieved at first to know that last week's games had indeed stopped, but how was she supposed to deal with today's change? Stolen kisses and affectionate touching at crime scenes, coupled with _even worse_ behavior and back talk?

She shook her head and frowned. This was going to be unpleasant.

"Thinking about how you're going to dump me, Lisbon?" said a voice from her doorway.

She looked up to see Jane leaning against the doorframe, scowling unhappily. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"So what'll it be, hmm? The 'it's not you, it's me' speech? Unlikely, since it obviously is me," he said, anger underlying every word. "How about the 'we should just stay friends' tactic? That's usually good for letting someone down gently."

"Uh, I'm still confused on this end, Jane. What are you talking about?"

"Your whole body language, your posture, the cool look in your eyes. You're going to end this before it even begins, and you're going to give me a terribly clichéd excuse to do it."

"Jane, hang on a minute-"

"I've got it: you're going to use the 'we can't because we work together' reason! Forget it, Lisbon, this means too much to me. I can't believe you think that I would let you get away with-"

"JANE WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP!" Lisbon finally yelled. Jane's mouth was still open, but the flow of words had stopped. "I'm not trying to get rid of you, really!"

"You're not?" he asked, sounding honestly surprised for once.

"I'm not. But we do have to talk, Jane. I knew things were going to change; they had to. Some changes aren't acceptable, however. Your behavior is bad enough, seriously. I don't need or want you dialing it up. And as for the fact that we work together, yes, it does make a difference. We have to watch the way we act when we're here."

"Why? Everybody thinks we're sleeping together anyway, and I for one don't care."

"Well, that's your luxury as a consultant, Jane. You don't _have_ to care. I'm an official agent of this organization, though, so I do," she said, and let her head drop into her hand in frustration.

He walked over and sat in the chair in front of her desk. "No, Lisbon, you _don't_. What you have to do for the CBI is your job, and you do that better than anyone else does. Better than anyone else **could**."

She raised her head again and looked at him. His face was open, his eyes were calm, and his smile was gentle and real. "Thank you," she said. "That's very nice of you to say."

"It is, isn't it? It also happens to be the truth. They get your best, Lisbon. You don't owe them anything more."

"I was serious, though, Jane. We have to be discreet."

He rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I understand. Everything has to stay 'sub-rosa.' But it's late, and we're the last two here again, right?"

"That's right. What's your point?"

"My point is there's no one to be discreet for at the moment." He stood up, walked around her desk and pulled her up and into a tight hug. "I love you. I can tell you're still angry with me about today, and I want to make it up to you."

She finally relaxed as her arms went around him. "I love you, too. Yes, I'm still mad, but I'm cooling off. Don't worry."

Jane shook his head. "But I _am_ worried. You saw how upset I was when I first walked in here; I even misread you! This all seems so fragile, Teresa; I don't want it to shatter. So, tell me how I can get you to forgive me."

She found herself smiling at his uncharacteristic vulnerability. Being together really must mean a lot to him. She wasn't too surprised, when she thought about it, to find how much being with him meant to her, too.

She took a deep breath and pulled back slightly to look up at him. "Take me home," she said, and reached up a hand to smooth a few blonde curls away from his face. "Make me dinner," she whispered when she stood on tiptoe to nuzzle his ear. "Be good to me," she murmured, right before she pressed her lips against his.

He smiled against her mouth and returned the kiss. She let herself get swept up in the moment and slipped her tongue between his soft, willing lips. His sigh of complete happiness warmed her almost as much as his arms around her.

When they separated, she looked him in the face again. "Just be good to me, Patrick," she repeated, "And, God help me, I have the feeling I'll always forgive you."

He didn't speak, but the look in his eyes convinced her that _that_ was what he'd really needed to hear.

**The End**


End file.
